Sunday, September 29, 2013

Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry Book Review

Goodreads Blurb: (There is also another cover available for this novel. Interested in seeing it? Check it out HERE.)Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic black girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening – especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!Jaycie Lerner’s family isn’t the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie’s mom’s MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in ‘trainer,’ is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie’s godfather John is more than persuasive – he can literally convince anyone to do anything.As far as the rest of the world’s concerned, Jaycie’s on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie’s pediatrician father, but she doesn’t fit in with ‘normal’ kids, and she doesn’t really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there’s one thing she can’t control – and that’s her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of…Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!Review:*copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review*I was initially really excited to read this book. I was more than happy to see a YA novel that featured african american characters as main characters. There is a serious lack of YA that features any characters of color as main characters, but that's just me pointing out something I noticed.Anyway...when I first began reading the book I was really into it. Things were happening quickly. Our main character Jaycie was relatable, her father was endearing, and the supporting characters were enjoyable and witty. Then about halfway or more so towards the end of the book it really started to lose me. Let me start by telling you the things I liked.What I liked:1. The plot. It was interesting to see an entire family that consisted of members with supernatural abilities. That side of it was intriguing and what got me into it in the first place.2. Character Building This was pretty well done. You definitely get an idea of who each character is and what they're all about. You don't have to guess which I liked. 3. Setting Although it wasn't brought up fully. The southern setting was a nice background for the kind of story that was told, and I found it fitting.4. Relatability It was fairly easy to relate to the characters despite their superhuman factor. They seemed like a real family.Here's some of what I didn't like:1. The Romance (or lack there of)*THIS IS SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER* We are introduced to Matt and Jaycie as a couple and we see them in trickles but it gets lost. When we do see them however they're constantly bickering over juvenile things although that's probably what teenagers do. Their arguments didn't seem warranted and frankly it just kind of annoyed me.2.I didn't like the changes that happened in Jaycie towards the end. I feel like they changed her whole character dynamic.3. The dialogue between Jaycie's father and her grandfather *SPOILER* Why, oh why? Why did we have to introduce weed smoking. I did a face palm at this point. This is so unnecessary and just plain juvenile. It does nothing for the development of the story or the characters themselves. Oh how I wish that part wasn't in it.4. The Vampires I just didn't get their contribution the story. I understood why they were there but I just didn't understand their place. It was kind of creepy actually. Sorry. Overall this book is good. It has great potential and I think in the later books it will more likely than not get better. The sequels a lot of time do far better than the first.

Interested in checking out the first book and the others in the series? Check it out HERE.